At seminary, faith and hope for future Church

By Tom Tracy - Florida Catholic

BOYNTON BEACH | Seeing so many friends and supporters from around the state and beyond gathered under a white tent to celebrate the festive Irish and Italian heritages is probably a good indicator for Florida’s major seminary.

“Any time you can fill up a tent with a thousand people who come out and support the seminary says a lot about their faith and hope for the future of the Church,” said Msgr. David Toups, rector/president of St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary.

“Whenever people come here they experience the faith, hope and normalcy of our seminarians,” he said.

Speaking of the annual Joe-Paddy Festival held March 14 on the grounds of the seminary — which serves all the seven dioceses of Florida and several others beyond the state — Msgr. Toups said he is grateful for the support of the faithful in attending annual fundraising events, including Joe-Paddy.

The outdoor event is a fun blending of the food, song and faith traditions of St. Patrick’s Day and St. Joseph’s Day into one evening, during which the seminarians serve as waiters, bartenders, musicians and greeters. They even valet park cars and bus tables.

It’s way to bring together Florida’s future priests with some of the region’s Catholics, Msgr. Toups said. “It’s certainly a way for us to serve and it is also a part of our annual budget, so this event helps pay our tuition and support the needs of our institution — it’s a way to give back.”

Many who attend this event — along with the annual Friends of the Seminary dinner held in October — hail from South Florida parishes, from Miami to Palm Beach, but “I know we had people from Maine, Minnesota, Memphis, Tampa — my own home — and we had people visiting from Boston. Florida is not a bad place to be this time of year,” Msgr. Toups said of Joe-Paddy.

“These two main annual events are our two major fundraising efforts and a great way to get involved in the life of the seminary,” he said. “Both are done in house with our own great kitchen staff and so everything goes to the support of the seminary.”

Established in 1963, St. Vincent de Paul Seminary is owned by the seven dioceses of Florida and currently has an enrollment of 106 seminarians, including 83 who live on the recently-renovated campus. The others are serving pastoral year assignments elsewhere in their home dioceses.

Some of the seminarians are studying at St. Vincent de Paul for the dioceses of Atlanta and Savannah in Georgia; Charleston, South Carolina; Richmond, Virginia; and Kingston, Jamaica.

Several years ago, in response to the increase in vocations, the seminary built two new dormitory wings and renovated the 50-year-old existing dormitories and offices. This major overhaul has had a significant and uplifting impact on the campus overall.

The seminary’s theme this year has been simply, “Jesus Christ is Lord!” (Philippians 2:11), reminding the seminarians “that everything we do is for Christ, with Christ and for the people of God and to allow Jesus to be the center of our lives,” Msgr. Toups pointed out.

“The high-profile Church scandals of the last year or two have tested the faith of the entire Church community,” Msgr. Toups added, “and having such a simple motto or theme for 2019 has helped the entire seminary family of students, faculty and administration to stay energized and transparent for the mission of the Church.”

The seminary community, he noted, is grateful to many who have reached out to encourage priestly vocations, and that same community wishes to reciprocate by becoming the bests priests they can for service in Florida.

“People dealing with the scandals this year can remember that our faith is in the person of Jesus Christ and not the personnel,” Msgr. Toups said. “Those who have caused scandal do not represent who and what we are, and the seminarians are here to make a difference.”

Bringing together seminarians with local Catholics for prayer and celebrations is mutually edifying. “Our visitors are encouraged when they speak with the seminarians and see them in action and for us it is also encouraging to see the people of God and to see their faith — like all things in the body of Christ we build each other up in these moments.”

FIND OUT MORE

Some important dates this year involving St. Vincent de Paul Regional Seminary:

• Ordinations of transitional deacons are set for 11 a.m., Saturday, April 6 at St. Joan of Arc Parish in Boca Raton. Miami will have two deacons ordained: Ryan Saunders, whose home parish is St. Anthony in Fort Lauderdale, and Andrew Tomonto, whose home parish is St. Louis in Pinecrest.
• The seminary graduation celebrations are set for Thursday, May 9, at St. Vincent de Paul Seminary, 10701 S. Military Trail, Boynton Beach.
• The annual Friends of the Seminary Mass and Gala Dinner is set for Friday, Oct. 18.
• For more information call 561-732-4424 or visit: https://www.svdp.edu.